A 20-year-old uncle ran into a burning house without thinking twice—because his 8-year-old niece was trapped inside.
Derrick Byrd had already caught two of his nephews after they jumped from a second-floor window.
But little Mercedes was too afraid to jump.
So Derrick went back into the flames.
He found her, wrapped his shirt around her face to protect her from the smoke, and carried her outside.
He suffered second- and third-degree burns on his face, back, and arms.
But when people called him a hero, Derrick simply said:
“I wasn’t going to let them die.”
And his next words said everything about the kind of uncle he is:
“I’d run back in there and do it again—even if I got burnt worse or died.”